


EPILOGUE: Through A Man's Eyes

by TheArtOfBlossoming



Series: Vincent, Redefined [4]
Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Adult Shaun, Epilogue, M/M, Multi, Post-Canon, Vincent Redefined
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-23
Updated: 2017-07-23
Packaged: 2018-12-05 22:15:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11587254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheArtOfBlossoming/pseuds/TheArtOfBlossoming
Summary: Synth Shaun did not grow as human boys, like his brother Duncan MacCready, did but his Pop found a way around that. If you get emotional over fanfic, I advise you to equip a tissue. Just in case.





	EPILOGUE: Through A Man's Eyes

**Author's Note:**

  * For [banquos_ghost](https://archiveofourown.org/users/banquos_ghost/gifts).



The banner read 'Happy New Year 2294!' "Yeah, Happy New Life…hopefully. Unless it goes horribly wrong." said the kid. He looked up at the veteran's scarred face, a face he had hardly seen in four years. Oh, it had been cool at first, having a real dad, a kid brother and..well…another dad. He'd loved living in Sanctuary but he'd hated how provisioners and seldom-seen friends exclaimed over how Duncan had grown, how much like his father he was starting to look, what a big boy he was now. Some of them had tried it on him but he knew they were deluding themselves. Sure, he grew as a person but he was really just a freak of a kid who stayed looking _exactly_ the same. By the time he was passing as 13, he'd asked to leave. That didn't go down too well and it took two failed attempts at running away to convince his Pop that he needed to disappear for a few years. 

Vincent hadn't been keen on the idea - he'd worked hard at being the father the kid had once dared him to be and wasn't ready to abandon him - but he'd eventually agreed with Danse that the two of them could go and live at Nuka Rocket for a few years. At least until it was time.

Well, that time had finally arrived. They stepped into the Memory Den and Irma swept over to greet them. "Hello, darlings. My dear partner is all ready for you downstairs." Vincent thanked her as Shaun stared, wide eyed, at the new surroundings. His eyes wandered to one of the pods where an attractive, youngish woman lay, oblivious to outer reality. Something stirred in him that he could not quite define.

Downstairs in the basement, Dr. Amari stood over another pod, this one with a faintly visible male occupant who seemed to have his head in the clouds, its twin pod empty of a pilot. Their footsteps made her look up. "Ah, you made it! I must say, Sentinel-General Sir, that I never wish to travel to Far Harbor again, as much as I find Acadia deeply fascinating." The boy was just staring at the young man, barely visible in the swirling mist inside the pod. Amari continued. "DiMA and Faraday prepared this…ah..upgrade. Now, there is no obligation here and absolutely no rush. Shaun? Are you ready to see it?" Vincent put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Are you ready, son?"

The boy hesitated. "I…I don't want to have a memory of looking down on that face. I'd rather see it in a mirror, first. Pop, you take a look and give me a nod if you think it looks like…like me." The older man stroked his moustache thoughtully then said, "As you wish. Son." He cupped Shaun's cheek briefly as he strode over to the occupied pod - occupied by an empty, artificially living body - and got right up close, splaying his hands on the curved door, taking in every detail. He closed his eyes, rested his forehead briefly on the glass then pulled himself up straight and nodded, once.

Doctor Amari then put an arm about the boy's shoulders and steered him to the empty pod. "I'll be checking your vitals constantly. DiMA suggested that it would be helpful if you sang a song during the process to help with the monitoring. Do you have a favourite?" Shaun's serious expression sat uncomfortably on the apparently ten-year old face. "I know one. Mac taught me to sing. It'd be a painful process if you'd've asked Pop." Vin's weak "Hey!" in protest teased a smile onto Shaun's face. "Okay, I'm ready doc. Plug me in and let's ride that neural-transfer wave." He climbed into the pod, avoiding looking into the other and Doctor Amari busied herself with the control panel. "Alright, Shaun, serenade us." He closed his eyes and began to sing in pre-pubescent tones. "You gotta ac-cent-tuate the positive, e-lim-inate the negative, latch on to the affirmative, don't mess…." 

A skipped beat. Vincent and Amari looked over to the second pod. The man inside jerked once, a deep breath filling his lungs and they heard "…with Mr. Inbetween. Nooooo, don't m…is that me singing? Am I…? Pop? Poppa!" "I'm here, son. I'm here." The doctor motioned him to wait as she looked between readouts and adjusted dials. "Looks good. Let's get you out of there Shaun but slowly. It may take time for your proprioception to catch up with its new frame of reference." Shaun had begun giggling, his hand rubbing the square jaw where stubble grew. The pod door opened and Vincent helped him to sit upright, then squatted face to face and just absorbed the face of the young man who was undeniably his son. From the green eyes with flecks of hazel, to the rose-tinged pale skin, light dusting of freckles and auburn hair; Vincent saw Nora in the shape of his eyes, Vaughn in the plane of his cheekbones and his own forehead and nose. He burst into tears of joy and hugged his son, grown up at last, albeit rather suddenly.

The doctor was doing her job, testing pupil dilation and reflexes, pottering around him making notes and switching scientific instruments. After a full checkup and some practice walking on longer legs, she beamed at them both. "You are good to go, Shaun. Vincent, what would you have me do with the….ecdysis (indicating the now lifeless small body). Shaun spoke in his new, deep voice before Vincent could: "Drop it in the crater. The Institute can have it back." Vin looked down slowly, nodding his agreement. He started, remembering something and produced a key. The keyring was a very battered little tin red rocket. "Happy 16th Birthday, Shaun. This key fits the lock on the rootcellar doors at home. Whatever you find in there belongs to you. Thought you'd appreciate a den that doesn't stink of molerat!" Shaun took the key, looking as much at his unfamiliar adult hand as at the all too familiar little rocket from the mobile. The memory that was his and not-his. He'd already spent too long agonising over his existence and had promised himself (and Uncle Dan) that when he 'grew up' he would simply be grateful to exist and enjoy his life and in doing so, enrich the lives of others. "Thanks, Pop." He flung his arms around Vincent, who held his son tight. "Time to go home," said Doctor Amari who suddenly had something in her eye. She shooed them off.

Upstairs, Irma squealed with delight but also, very nicely, kicked them out.

Most people paid no notice but once they turned the corner, Daisy was there taking Shaun by the hands and making grandma-like 'oh my' noises. She let them into the semi-privacy at the back of the shop and handed Shaun a mirror. He stared directly at his reflection for a good long while before turning his head this way and that. Whether at Arcadia, Doctor Amari or Irma, someone had styled his hair. He ran his hand over his auburn locks to the Ronin topknot and the shorter hair beneath. Vincent said quietly, "Vonny wore his hair like that. My cousin, Vaughn." Shaun glanced up at him in brief acknowledgement and returned his gaze to the mirror, bringing his hand up to stroke the small, neat moustacheless beard that was worthy of an Atom Cat. Shaun laughed. "Oh ho man, I need to learn how to shave! Outstanding! I'm diggin' this look. What d'ya think, Pop?" Vin smiled lopsidedly and said, "You look like a Hudson, alright but you sound like…well, I mean you remind me of MacCready, Danse and Zeke rolled into one! I like it. You get to decide, now, what kind of man you'll be behind that handsome exterior.

Vin explained to Daisy that he'd need some protection for Shaun to travel back safely to Sanctuary and she produced a worn set of good quality combat armour, for which she would accept nothing in return save a few minutes extra clucking over the 'handsome young man' and to peck Vin's cheek which, she admitted, she'd been itching to do since he'd helped the MacCreadys. Just as they were about to leave she put a packet of gumdrops and a remarkably pristine copy of the rare 'Adventures of Atomcat' into Vincent's hands and told him to send her warm regards to Mac and the now ten year old Duncan.

The return to Sanctuary was fairly uneventful. When they crossed the bridge, Shaun could see a huge party going on in the street (with extra guards on duty). Mac, Piper and Codsworth had been busy 'partying up the place' whilst Preston had invited as many as could be spared from settlements around the Commonwealth. Haylen was there, as was Rhys, now in Minuteman garb, on the arm of his husband-to-be, Saul J. Danse (aka Diesel Dan). Today, they celebrated not just the return of the Sentinel-General's son but the birth of a New Commonwealth, years in the making but finally dominated by peaceful folk, the Three Races: Humans, Genthrees and Ghouls; the old, the new and the altered.

Shaun MacCready Hudson loped away from all the attention. He went around the back of the house he called home, unlocked the large new padlock on the cellar doors and stepped down inside. Taking up most of the room was a suit of T-51 power armour, painted in the Atom Cats flame style. There were piles of laundered clothes, stacks of Fancy Lads Snack Cakes, Vim, more varieties of Nuka Cola than he'd ever seen together in one place and various bits and bobs that he'd enjoy scrapping and crafting with. A note on the armour in Danse's precise handwriting made it plain that he was not to try and steer the suit out of the cellar himself (there was no fusion core anyway). He cursed out loud, enjoyed hearing the word in his new, adult voice and tried out a some more colourful vocabulary. A shout of "I heard that! Caps in the jar, kiddo!" came from outside. Shaun smiled whilst sighing and shaking his head then launched himself up the ladder to see Star-Paladin, Major RJ MacCready grinning at him from ear to ear. A lanky, brown eyed, mousy-haired boy stood next to him shyly. Mac threw his arms round Shaun. "Whoa ho! I'd know you anywhere, kiddo. You look just like your dad…got your mom's eyes, too." Thanks Mac. It's really good to see you. He smiled at Duncan then looked back at Mac. "Oh…Daisy sent these for you." He held the comic in one hand and the gumdrops in the other, teasingly swapping them over a few times before handing 'The Adventures of Atomcat' over to Mac and the gumdrops to Duncan. The boy looked up at this new man with huge brown eyes. "Hey MacDunc! You got tall! Nearly caught up with your old man there ("Hey! Less o'the 'old'!). It's _me_ , Duncan. It's Shaun. I just..sorta…grew up, is all." The boy didn't look convinced. "Alright, then prove it." Duncan then proceeded to fire questions about the plots of Grognak and Unstoppables comics, which they'd read together a hundred times. Of course, Shaun knew the answers but it was only when Duncan asked him the password to the 'rocket den' that he actually passed the test. After that, Duncan relaxed and helped Shaun relax too, by talking to him as if nothing had changed. Mac sat there cradling a beer, the warmest smile setting his face aglow.

A short while later, they were ushered to the tables set out around The Tree, where a feast buffet was set out. One of the settlers, a former chem brewer, Ellen, had turned her hand to cuisine and come up with a huge variety of ways to cook with the fresh (if mutated) food available locally. Curie's current research focussed on botany, so the two worked together and they were deep in conversation about how radiation affected taste when Vincent steered Shaun past them, towards a young woman with oriental features and a smudge of axel grease on her otherwise pristine dress. Vin, hand on his son's back, cleared his throat and announced "Shaun, I'd like to introduce you to Scribe-Mechanic for Human/Genthree relations, Miss Kasumi Nakano. Kasumi, well. You've kinda met already. Shaun, this young lady is responsible for your hair and had a hand in making this all possible." The two were staring wide-eyed at each other, smiling slightly. Finally, Shaun found both his manners and his voice. He held out his hand. "A pleasure to meet you, Miss Nakano. Oh…and thankyou for the coiffeur. I kinda expected to come out looking like the madman from 'Lost in the Snows of….uh…heh..you don't read Grognak? No?" Kasumi shook her head, smiling, looking as though she wasn't going to say anything, then blurted out "But you could show it to me, sometime. If you'd like. I mean, when I'm not up to my ears in technical manuals and greasy gears and..um.…..You're incredible!" Shaun laughed in surprise and Vin chuckled. "I'd better leave you two to get acquainted, then," patted his son on the shoulder, nodded to Kasumi and wandered over to where Danse had just appeared.

On this rare occassion, he was out of his power armour, wearing a mechanics jumpsuit with a bomber jacket over the top. Rhys was over by the table, piling two plates high with savouries. "Are you confident that you did the right thing?" Vin turned to his friend, quizzical disbelief on his face. "You ask me this now?" He turned to see Dan watching his honourary nephew with the biggest smile on his face." Vin punched his arm, making Danse exclaim, "Ha! You must be very proud. That took great courage, especially from one so young……but moreso for you, I speculate. The risk of losing your son for the second time must have been terrifying. Brother, you are quite the inspiration." Danse watched the young man enjoy all the attention he was getting, now from Sturges and Preston, shaking his hand and grinning as Shaun piled his own plate high. Sturges put his hand to his mouth to shout over "Dig in before this guy cleans up!" When Vin and Dan sauntered over, Shaun seeing Danse for the first time, he threw himself into a bear hug and thanked both men for the power armour, excitedly. Danse put his hands on the young man's shoulders and looked intensely into the hazel streaked green eyes. "These shoulders are ready to bear greater responsibility. Your multi-disciplinary training begins in one week, rookie." Shaun grinned. He'd been waiting for this for so long. "Should be fun! Let's go celebrate."

*~*~*

Addendum. In the years that followed, the Commonwealth flourished. Of the original thirty two settlements reclaimed by the Minutemen, all but Covenant (which remains a ghost town to this day) and Graygarden (still exclusively populated by robots) have become growing townships, with Sanctuary Hills, County Crossing and Sunshine Tidings being the largest. Hancock's Alley, though small, has become a popular place to visit and Brigadier-General Hancock's Watchmen can be found in most towns.

Diamond City now boasts a second wall, Orange Boundary, providing more housing, a Brotherhood training facility and a community garden, as the Raiders and Supermutants have long been pushed back. Ghouls are once again allowed in Diamond City, occupying properties vacated by criminal persons. There is no longer a mayor. Instead, Governor Preston Garvey guides the Commonwealth settlements, with Diamond City as the capital, with the support of the Minutemen /Brotherhood Alliance.

Shaun MacCready Hudson became a Proctor, studying under Proctors Ingram and Quinlan and Scribe Neriah, specialising in upcycling technologies. Scribe-Mechanic Nakano, with the support of the Sentinel-General and his Companion Council, became an advocate for Gen 3 Synths and did much to increase the Brotherhood's acceptance and inclusion (under strict guidelines) of what became known as the Synth Refugees.

Father and son Robert Joseph and Duncan Lucas MacCready opened the first Caps Savings and Loan when Star-Paladin Major MacCready was forced to retire from active duty due to injury. In addition to this work, he trained the very best Minutemen and Brotherhood snipers. Duncan became a part-time Neighbourhood Watchman.

Nick Valentine trained several apprentice detectives. One day, when Ellie was old and grey, she came into the office to find Nick sitting still at his desk, his yellow eyes dim, one last smile upon his face. He is buried by The Wall.

**Author's Note:**

> If you have enjoyed reading this, please leave a comment! Thankyou. If you read Vincent, Redefined from the very beginning, Sincere thanks. [AoB Admires You] Dedicated to my dedicated co-writer, banquos_ghost. What a wonderful way to kindle a friendship this has been :)


End file.
